Isle of Arran, in poetry

I’m not a poet, and I really do know it, but still, why not try and have fun with words I thought. This is exactly what I’ve done. I’ve written my first poem about my favourite island the Isle of Arran 💙

It took me a few months to think of the words, with room for improvement I feel. The hardest part for me was finding rhyming words that made sense. It was so difficult! I know poems don’t need to rhyme. They should make you think, analyse the words, work things out, like a puzzle.

I’m a plain English writer and words need to make sense for me to understand what a story is all about. I had an impulse to write in rhyme and also wanted it flow if I read it aloud.

I wrote my poem for Arran’s new Lagg Whisky Distillery poetry competition just to see how it faired. Suggestions were to:

“Capture the beauty of the Isle of Arran, the history of the island or the Arran spirit itself “

My poem didn’t make it, but that’s okay. I wasn’t expecting to win anything as I’m very much an amateur at this. I’m also not an expert on whisky, but I now love to try a wee dram now and then. As you might already know, my very first whisky tour and tasting was at Lochranza on the island.

Either way, I was also planning on sharing my poem here on my blog as this was a new creative challenge for me. The journey in my mind, thinking of the places I’ve seen with my own eyes, then finding the words to describe this, was fun.

Congratulations to the winner and runners up! I’m really pleased for you all and also excited to visit the new Lagg whisky distillery when it opens in summer 2019 (officially opened on 12 June 2019). I remember passing the new sign for the development when I walked the Arran Coastal Way in June 2017. Another beautiful place to stop for refreshments if you’re walking the coastal way, or just visiting.

My Arran poem

My vision was to write a few words about some of the beautiful villages on the island and also mention the history of the island’s whisky. A little taster of each, so to speak. These are the places I mention in my poem:

Isle of Arran, Scotland in miniature

Brodick

Corrie

Sannox

Lochranza

Catacol

Pirnmill

Imachar

Machrie

Blackwaterfoot

Lagg

Welcome home

Kildonan

Whiting Bay

Lamlash

Leaving Arran

Visuals are always good to use, so I’ve added a few of my photos as a background to my words and inserted these as images below.

Come with me on a tour around this beautiful island, through my eyes, expressing my feelings, using my words. I’d love to know what you think. I hope you enjoy it! 🥃

If you got this far, to the end, thank you for taking the time to read my first poem.

I know this is a different blog post to my usual adventures, but it’s something I really wanted to write about so I can look back and enjoy the journey all over again 💙

17 Replies to “Isle of Arran, in poetry”

Hallo Dawn-Marie,
I’m sorry I wasn’t able of reading your blog earlier.
I have never been to Arran but I can assure you that your poems certainly inspired me.
I don’t know if we’re able to visit it this year but it is certainly going to be on my list. Thank you so much!

Thank you so much. If my poem inspires you to visit this really puts a smile on my face :). You would love the island. A perfect place for a Dutch Peakers adventure. If you ever do visit in the future let me know and I can hopefully visit for the day to see you all. Thank you!

Gosh what an epic love poem to an island you clearly love and know very well.
We visited Arran for the first time Easter 2018 and were blown away by it’s beauty. We arrived accidentally, as we had planned a tour of the outer Hebrides but ferry issues prevented that. We are coming back this May and intend staying through to October so that we can thoroughly explore and enjoy the island. I now intend using your poem as a guide and will visit every place you so beautifully describe. Thank you

Thank you, Yes I have already had a look at your distillery tour and the coastal walk and shall return to them for reference. Especially as they feature Lochranza which is where we will be based.Thanks again, Fiona

Well done Dawn-Marie, I really enjoyed travelling through Arran in your poetic words and imagery. As someone else said above, printing your poems with your photos in a book format would be a really nice idea, even if only for personal purposes. Also like everything else i life, you have to start somewhere and with practice it becomes easier so keep doing what you enjoy and keep feeling confident enough to share what you create with the world.

Thanks so much for your comment. It means a lot 💙 Yes, it was a few months of juggling words … I had the images in my head, the feelings I felt, but the words were difficult for me. If it makes you want to visit Arran again, then my poem has worked!

Dawn-Marie, creating a poem (indeed even finding the poetry in everyday things) is quite the challenge. I applaud you for setting such a great goal and then following through. Just like climbing a mountain one step at a time, a poem in the making comes one image, one word, one line at a time. I am always happy to read your posts! Thank you for sharing your thoughts and endeavors.

Thanks as always Laurie. I think like most of us, I always have that element of doubt if it is good enough, but then I need to remember and tell myself that as long as I’m trying, it is better than nothing at all. I must admit I was nervous sharing it. Thank you 🙂 x